Protestors scale the John Gorton Building to protest the expansion of the nation’s largest gas project. Photo: Nicholas Ward.
Protestors have scaled the John Gorton Building to protest the 45-year expansion of Woodside’s North West Gas shelf project.
Two members of Rising Tide, a grassroots climate group, scaled the entrance to the home of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on Friday morning (30 May), ahead of a rally, hanging banners over the windows of the department and attracting police and security interest.
One of the protestors who scaled the entrance, John Wurcker, said he was not worried about being arrested.
“I’ve got three grandchildren. I worry about their future, not about mine,” he said.
“I’ll be dead and buried before the hard things happen in Australia. I’ve got four children and three grandchildren, and I’m here for them.
“It doesn’t worry me at all any of the consequences.”
John Wurcker had a message for Canberrans. Photo: Nicholas Ward.
It was a sentiment shared by many of the attendees, who were open about using civil disobedience to raise awareness about what they describe as a “betrayal” by the Labor Government.
Michael Mulvaney said he protested every week, and was not planning to stop anytime soon.
“Both my grandfathers fought in the trenches in the First World War,” he said.
“My father flew Wellington bombers in the Second World War … my ancestors risked their lives. At the most, I’m risking a fine.
“I’ve got no worries at all if I’m doing something illegal.”
The protest brought together several climate groups, including Rising Tide, Fridays for the Future, and the People’s Climate Assembly. Chair of the PCA Amy Blaine said people were feeling betrayed by the government.
“The first decision that we’re seeing from our environment minister is one which is going to be catastrophic for the climate, and it’s going to be catastrophic for Murajuga,” she said.
“I can’t tell you the level of disappointment and distress I feel that the first decision the new environment minister made was this one.
“What a bad decision to be making on behalf of Australians, on behalf of First Nations, globally, this is an absolutely devastating decision that’s being made.”
“I can’t tell you the level of disappointment and distress I feel,” Amy Blaine said. Photo: Nicholas Ward.
The protestors came from different positions, some focused on the damage expansion could cause to indigenous sites, others focused on the multi-generational effects of climate change, and some talked about the economic rationale of giving away gas royalty-free, but all of them were united in opposition to the expansion.
Matthew Armstrong, who designed an eye-catching piece featuring the Prime Minister igniting a gas bomb, said the only solution would be voting for independents over the big two parties.
“Albo is not going to do anything about climate … he won’t actually deal with the fossil fuel industry. He won’t stand up to them, because they are very powerful,” he claimed.
“It’s going to take minority government to actually force change in Australia.”
Matthew Armstrong (right) is disillusioned with the major parties. Photo: Nicholas Ward.
Several protestors echoed a feeling of betrayal that a Labor Government would greenlight an extension of the project after running an election campaign on climate change action.
Attendees were clear that they were only getting started, with some groups planning weekly protests. Others said they were planning to stage larger protests in the coming weeks.
